Mobile communication devices such as wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smart telephones are well known for providing users with services such as email, Web browsing, text messaging, etc. Such devices communicate over a wide variety of networks including data-only networks such as Mobitex and DataTAC as well as complex voice and data networks such as the Global System for Mobile Communications/General Packet Radio Service (GSM/GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and CDMA2000 networks.
It is common to provide a separate browser icon entry point for each browser configuration present on the device. Thus, for a corporate user up to three different browser icons may be provided on the device—a corporate enterprise browser, an Internet browser, and a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) browser.
Although the browsers are quite similar, each has a specific use that the other browsers are unable to duplicate. The corporate enterprise browser is the only browser that can access content inside the user's corporate firewall. The Internet browser is the only browser that can access and browse Internet sites via a hosted service, without requiring access to a corporate enterprise server. WAP is an open international standard for applications that use wireless communication. Thus, a WAP browser is designed to provide all of the basic services of a computer based Web browser but is simplified to operate within the restrictions of a mobile communication device. The WAP browser is the only browser with access to a service provider's portal and carrier-specific subscription services.
Since each of the foregoing specific capabilities is required for a corporate user, it is not possible to simply remove any of the browser configurations from the device. However, a typical user may be expected to find the presence of multiple browser icons confusing and unintuitive. Many users are not aware of the capabilities of the different browsers and simply want to use a browser to browse the Web.
Also, when attempting to access a Web page a user may find that the page is not accessible because, for example, the user's corporate enterprise server is down or off-line or the user is attempting to access a corporate Intranet site using the Internet browser icon rather than the corporate enterprise browser icon.